1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a pillar structure applied to a vehicle, such as an automobile, and a method for manufacturing the pillar structure.
2. Description of the Related Art Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-17933 (JP-A-10-17933) describes a pillar structure for preventing a local deformation of a pillar when a vehicle is hit on the side. In this pillar structure, a reinforcement member of the pillar is quenched to have a strength distribution similar to an impact load distribution.
However, in the above described pillar structure, it is extremely difficult to control deformation of a pillar in the event of a side collision while ensuring the strength of the pillar.